Welcome Home
by vescaria
Summary: "Natsume," Natori said suddenly, his tone taking a desperate turn. "Is this true? Are you actually in love with him?" The answer is one that Natori almost cannot bear to hear. Oneshot. Madara x Natsume. Onesided!Natori x Natsume


**Disclaimer**: I don't own Natsume Yūjinchō, and I'm not profiting in any way from this story.

**Major Characters**: Madara, Natsume Takashi, Kai (the mountain god from the final episode), Kogitsune (the fox kit), Natori

**Pairings**: Madara x Natsume Takashi, onesided!Natori x Natsume

**Warnings**: Homosexual couple, spirits in human form, mentions of sexual activities

It was all rather troublesome.

At least, that's what Madara would claim when he was questioned about the situation. Reiko's grandson was the epitome of the word after all. No matter how many times he advised against the boy's (perhaps boy was the wrong word, he mused) meddling, no matter how often he kept _both_ his eyes trained on Takashi to keep him from stumbling across trouble, in the end, trouble always managed to find him. Spirits flocked to him like flies to a honey pot—evil ones, alright ones, and ones Madara would like nothing more than to drown violently in his precious sake. The Book of Friends was as slim as ever, he'd whine, when he saw that Takashi felt particularly harassed by the traffic that seemed to flit about him during his every waking moment. It wasn't out of sympathy; Madara didn't _do_ sympathy. No, those words were more for his own _personal _gain, and, by no means, did he do such things because he cared about Takashi.

And he certainly didn't glare at the exorcist because he was _jealous._

"I heard you've been housing a few strays," Natori said softly, his eyes drinking in the sight of Natsume over the rim of his cup. Madara, in the body of the lucky cat, squashed the urge to scoff at the man's obvious interest in Takashi and, also, Takashi's inability to notice such interest. Instead, he settled for acting bored, rolling on his stomach and nudging Takashi's knee. Natori glanced at him, he noticed, and his hand tightened around the ceramic cup. His knuckles were white when the holder of the Book of Friends, without any thought at all, reached over to pet Madara obediently.

Natsume frowned, answering a bit defensively, "They're not up to any trouble, Natori-san. The two of them are just like a couple of kids." Natori was, of course, speaking of Kai and Kogitsune—Takashi's recent charges. _'Of course the exorcist had gotten word of it. Keeping tabs on Takashi, aren't you? Too bad,'_ Madara taunted internally, eyes gleaming with mirth, _'he's mine.' _As if to concrete the point, Natsume's hands continue to stoke his fur. The golden-haired boy remained unaware of the tenseness of his guest, whose eyes shifted between Madara and Natsume.

"Ah. I see," the older man said stiffly. "What about him? Is he _your child_ as well?" Natori's eyes burned into Madara's, and Natsume seemed taken aback by the intensity between the two of them. The next moment exploded with movement.

Madara was all too ready to reveal his human shape to Natori. As a noble and powerful spirit, he was unafraid of such a silly man who thought himself above the spirits he was gifted to see, and he was eager to see what sort of tricks the man would try against him—as long as those tricks did not harm the holder of the Book of Friends. His almond-shaped eyes showed a hunger for blood, Natori's in particular, and it must have alarmed Natori's slaves, all three of them, since they appeared almost immediately. Even in his human form he appeared to be quite threatening—even in his nudity. He retained his white hair, his sharp, elongated nails, even his gold eyes. The red markings on his face were present as well, but all other features were clearly human.

"M-madara!" Takashi shouted, obviously surprised. "What are you doing?"

The spirit let a lazy smirk crawl across his face, "The exorcist seems to have come upon a _terrible_ misconception. I'm merely setting him straight." Natori's three spirit slaves tittered uncertainly. Madara, in a human form, didn't seem as much of a threat as they originally thought, but they were still weary, alert. That, Madara briefly thought, was their only good trait.

"You," Takashi hissed, eyes narrowed and his face a bit pink, "at least put some clothes on!"

Natori ignored the spirit's nakedness and Natsume's suggestion. "Exactly what sort of point do you think you're making, _Madara?_" he sneered, rising to his feet. His trio formed a sort of semi-circle behind him, and Madara's lips twitched further upward. The more and more time passed the more he found himself enjoying the situation. Natsume frowned a bit at the expression, and the spirit doubted he had worked out exactly what was passing between the exorcist and himself.

"Okaa-san!" a tiny voice called from the door and a blur of brown and gold hurtled itself at Natsume. Madara's smirked widened, if possible, at the title. It had been _his_ idea and a particularly shining moment of intelligence. The silent questions echoed on Natori's end. Why would Natsume chose spirits over humans? And why would he adopt their children as his own so freely?

"You're thinking too loud, Natori," Madara spoke coolly, purposefully dropping the honorific. "Takashi is not yours to want." Natsume froze at the words, arms tightening around the little fox child in his arms. The unspoken words were there. 'He's _mine.'_ Madara knew Takashi probably wouldn't take too kindly to the verbal claim, no matter how true it was. The white-haired spirit shivered at the memories that surfaced with that claim. Natsume Takashi most definitely was his. There was no doubt in that fact.

Natori's glare turned poisonous, before he turned to Natsume, "Is this what you want? To be possessed by these spirits? They don't see you. They don't care about you! Most of them are out to kill you! And the others! They're only after your powers, your skills. They don't see you like—"

"You're wrong," Kogitsune shrieked, cutting the human's words off, his ears flat against his head. "I—_We_'dnever hurt Natsume like that! Okaa-san's the only one who's been nice when everyone else is cruel and nasty to us. We'd never abandon him! Ever!" Madara found himself a bit taken aback by the fox's outburst, but he was nevertheless pleased. He knew that the words the fox uttered would no doubt stir Takashi's heart, warming it further to the idea of accepting spirits completely.

One of Natori's spirits snarled, "That's sweet, isn't it? You speak as though you know the hearts of all the spirits! How many of spirits try to kill him every day? What about him?" she motioned jerkily to Madara. "He's only here because he's after something, isn't he? Once your Natsume outlives his uses, he'll kill him. Are you a complete idiot?" The fox shirked back at the words, but his gaze was stubborn. He was clearly ready to verbally spar the female into submission, so set in the fact that Natsume had chosen correctly in trusting spirits with his safety and affection. Kogitsune would never forget how cold it was to be alone in the world, no one to speak to besides his dead mother. Natsume was so warm, so willing to share that warmth with him and so many others.

A quieter voice interrupted their conversation. "Madara loves Okaa-san. He would never hurt him on purpose." The tiny mountain god, Kai, stood in the doorway, giving Natori the coldest look he could muster. The spirit's skin crawled at the very sight of the exorcist, and it disturbed him even more that Natori was interested in Natsume as a potential life partner. Kai may be older than Kogitsune but his heart was that of a child. He loved freely and naively, but he was clever and suspicious too. Kai knew that spirits had attempted to harm Natsume, some had even succeeded, but he knew that Madara was powerful enough to simply take what he wanted—the Book of Friends. Why didn't he? Kai knew it was merely an excuse to remain by their okaa-san's side. Madara was powerful enough, strong enough to overpower the human, but he chose to protect him instead. Natori simply hadn't witnessed what they had. As strange as they were, Kai mused, they were family, all of them, together.

"How do you figure that? He's evil. Madara doesn't _love_ anyone. He's a goddamn spirit bent on power and destruction! Since when were you such a good judge of character, anyway? I happen to remember a mistake with a seal on a well—" The snide jab instantly angered Kai, and he was certain he could take on the female spirit that had dared to insult him. Yet, he never got the chance to test his assumption. Madara's clawed hand touched his shoulder and tugged him back a considerable amount.

"Natsume," Natori said suddenly, his tone taking a desperate turn. "Is this true? Are you actually in love with _him?_"

The other human looked a bit sad when he looked at the actor, if Madara were to be honest with himself. However, despite how much he appeared to be pained, there was a determination in him that Madara found himself feeling proud of. "I'm very sorry, Natori-san, but I would be lying to you if I denied it." The fox kit nuzzled the man's stomach as he spoke the words, offering up a sort of physical comfort. Kai smiled up at Madara briefly.

"I see," Natori whispered, his eyes dark, wet. Without a word he walked out of the room, out of the house, and presumably out of their lives—at least for a long while. His spirits followed him.

xx

"You're ignoring me," Madara drawled, lounging in the corner of the room in borrowed clothes. Natsume's only answer was a particularly harsh glare before he turned his eyes back to his school work. Madara had no idea why the man bothered with it at all; there wasn't much point to the knowledge he gained at that human school of his. Takashi would be better off learning about seals and ways of protecting himself against particularly dangerous spirits. Tonight, however, the white-haired spirit was pleased to see that Takashi was too distracted to concentrate, and since Natori's departure he hadn't flipped the page of his book once, signaling an obvious lack of productivity.

The two brats were downstairs, in human form, eating a snack provided by Toko-san. As far as she and Shigure-san knew, Kai and Kogitsune were his, Anzai Madara's, two very sweet _human_ children who looked up to Natsume as their 'mother' figure. The couple had been very tolerant of his presence, relationship with Natsume, and his children from his imaginary runaway, no-good wife. Really, they were more Natsume's offspring than his, but their story had been more easily fabricated. Madara could tell that lying hurt Natsume quite a bit, but he could also tell that the man was grateful that they were there, supporting him through his trials.

"How much longer can you go on like this? I'm a very difficult person to ignore. If you're mean to me for much longer, Takashi, I may have to leave to find my sake buddies, and you know how that tends to end." A perverted grin crossed the man's face, and to his pleasure, Takashi's face flushed.

"You better not! If you come back here in the middle of the night drunk again I'll never forgive you! You're lucky Kai and Kogitsune were away or—"

"They would have gained a firsthand experience of just what 'okaa-san' and 'otou-san' get up to in the middle of the night?" his voice grew softer and he scooted closer to his prey, his dear Takashi. "When we're all alone?" A bit softer, very much closer. "Just the two of us?" Almost silent, into the man's ear. Takashi's breath hitched, and he attempted to twist away. Madara wasn't about to be thwarted so easily, and he slammed the human down onto the table, draping his body right over his school books without much care at all. "You're very pretty today, Takashi. It's no wonder the exorcist was so upset."

"Why did you do that?" Natsume questioned, scowling. "You said you weren't going to say anything to him."

"He encroached on my territory," Madara said calmly, blanketing the other with his body. Natsume struggled a bit, attempting to shove the larger body off of him, but Madara easily captured his arms, pinning them to the table. His face, to the spirit's amusement, was turning a bright red. White hair fell about them like a curtain, and Madara leaned in to nuzzle Takashi's neck and chin thoroughly. Natsume was sputtering, attempting to come up with an appropriate response to his statement.

"Territory!"

Madara moved to nip at his lips. "You smell like me, did you know, _okaa-san?" _Takashi's eyes widened impossibly, and he turned away from the kisses, his entire face and neck flush with heat. "I couldn't let that bastard think he had any right to pursue you when you already _belong to me._"

"D-don't say stuff like that, pervert! I don't belong to anyone! A-and don't call me _that_!"

Madara ceased his affections to smirk down at his Natsume, "Eh? You don't seem bothered when _my children_ address you as such. Perhaps I should try something else then. If you're their mother and I'm their father…" His lips twitched, and Natsume still refused to look at him, his eyes fixed on the wall. Madara gripped his chin, forcing their eyes to meet. "You look quite flushed there, my lovely wife. Whatever are you thinking about?" The human's eyes fluttered close.

"Pervert," he mumbled almost inaudibly.

"Such a mean thing to say to your husband," Madara whispered, nosing at the man's cheek.

"Idiot! I'm not your wife!" Despite the attempt at a shout, Natsume's words came out a bit strangled, and Madara wouldn't dare deny that he had played a major part in that. He knew how hard it was for Natsume to think, much less speak, when he started to 'molest' him. Personally, he thought the word 'molest' was inappropriate. Takashi enjoyed it after all, _the prude_.

"Okaa-san? What are you and Otou-san doing?" a curious voice, Kogitsune, questioned. With a sudden strength, Natsume pushed Madara away, and the spirit was curious as to exactly how far the blush on his 'wife's' face extending downwards. Too bad they had been interrupted, he mused, or he may have found out for himself. Instead, he sprawled out on the floor, a lazy smile across his face. There would always be other chances later.

"Nothing! Just—nothing," Natsume answered weakly, still looking as though he were attempting to recollect himself. The fox kit tilted his head, confused, before jumping at his mother, excitedly telling him about their snack and future plans for the week. Kai crept in a few seconds later, settling at Natsume's side, listening with a smile. With the fox in his lap and the mountain god curled up at his side, Natsume really did look like a happy mother, a happy _wife_. Madara didn't dare say it out loud with the two 'children' sitting right there, but he was free to think it. He'd make sure to tell the man later, in private.

xx

"Night, okaa-san," the fox mumbled, cuddling closer to Natsume under the blanket. Kai mumbled the same from the man's other side. Madara had gone missing shortly after the two had come back from their snack, and the human would be lying if he said the fact didn't bother him. _'Bastard. He's probably out drinking again. Stupid Madara!' _He pushed the thoughts aside, kissing each of his 'children' on the cheek and saying his goodnights to them. Shortly afterwards, he drifted into an uneasy sleep, warmed by the two presences at his sides.

It was later in the night that he awoke, hearing some faint noise in his sleep. He prayed silently that it wasn't another spirit who wanted their name returned. He was much too comfortable in the warmth to move. Kai's drowsy whisper met his ears moments later, "Otou-san? Where'd you go? Why do you have flowers?" Natsume awoke more fully when Kai moved completely away from his side to make room for Madara to sleep. A cool rush of air assaulted his warm skin.

"Go to sleep, brat," the spirit answered gruffly. There was a bit of shuffling and rustling of cloth before Takashi felt Madara slide in beside him. Madara pulled Kai close to his side, and the small, child-like, mountain god smiled a bit before falling back into sleep. Natsume, almost fully alert now, reached for Madara's hand under the covers. There wasn't even the faintest hint of alcohol in the air, the human noted, and he wondered about the flowers. A peace offering?

"Madara?"

The spirit leaned in and kissed his neck softly, "Shh. It's alright, Takashi. Go to sleep." Natsume let out a breath, before smiling. He turned and gave Madara a full kiss on the mouth, his eyes gleaming playfully.

"Welcome home, Madara," he muttered, and Madara couldn't help the warm feeling that flooded him.


End file.
